IPMBA Needs You!
by Tom Harris, PCI #861T/EMSCI #030T
East Baton Rouge (LA) EMS
IPMBA Conference Coordinator
I have been a member of IPMBA since 1996, when I attended my basic cyclist course in Baton Rouge, which was taught by Steve Jackson. I still consider myself a youngster in the world of IPMBA compared to our founding fathers and in light of all that they have done to create such an outstanding and professional organization.
While attending the conference in Chandler this year, participating in some of the reunion activities orchestrated by Tom Woods, and listening to the comments made by each reunion attendee prompted me to start thinking (I know scary, right!). Just like the old WWII poster “Uncle Sam Needs You”, well, so does IPMBA.
Without our members and instructors, IPMBA would not be what and where it is today! IPMBA is truly a world-class training organization and is a members’ organization. I have had the privilege of attending most of the conferences since 1999, where I took the Police Cyclist Instructor Development Course and have since been heavily involved with IPMBA.
I became an Instructor Trainer in 2009 and have served as a member of the Board of Directors since 2010. Baton Rouge has hosted two conferences, the first in 2007, which was the first conference hosted by an EMS organization; the second in 2013, which was co-hosted by East Baton Rouge EMS and Baton Rouge Police Department.
As with any organization, IPMBA is only as strong as its membership and is dependent on their involvement and commitment to such activities as becoming instructors, applying for the board, attending conferences and spreading the word about IPMBA. Some of you reading this may or may not know that IPMBA relies on memberships, fees, the conference proceeds and donations to fund its day-to-day operations and develop and improve our training programs and resources.
IPMBA has only one full-time employee, Maureen Becker, our Executive Director. The board serves on a purely volunteer basis, who like you, have jobs, families, and other priorities. We also possess a true passion for the organization which we serve. I truly believe you will only get out of something what you are willing to put into it.
During my tenure on the board, there has been and continues to be constant communication among the members of the board and the membership on how to improve the organization and the training that is offered during the conference and/or regionally. The recently redeveloped and launched Bicycle Response Team (BRT) program is one example; the new and improved Instructor Class is another. The Complete Guide to Public Safety Cycling and the Fundamental Skills for Public Safety Cycling were the result of hundreds of hours of volunteer work from board members, input from IPMBA members, and much staff time.
The conference is a huge part of IPMBA. The networking, classes, camaraderie, and outstanding efforts of each and every host agency combine to have the best conference and training possible.
Each year around July, Maureen puts out a call for instructors and workshops for the next year’s conference. We are always overwhelmed by the quality and variety of proposals submitted.
Instructors devote much time and energy to writing their proposals, developing the content, and delivering the workshops. All of their effort is for naught if the conference is not well-attended.
I know these are trying budgetary times, and it can be difficult to take time away from family to attend the conference, but this is one of the major sources of funding to maintain our programs and memberships. So please make every effort to attend a pre-conference course, the conference, or both.
IPMBA needs each and every member in its ranks. IPMBA needs new and fresh ideas from each and every one of you to make our training programs bigger, better, stronger than any program in the world!
So with all that being said, please do not hesitate to become an instructor, apply to the board and/or bring new ideas to the IPMBA board and/or the IPMBA Conference. Here is a link to the board page (http://ipmba.org/about/ipmba/board-and-staff), which explains who they are and what they do both in the real world and as board members. IPMBA and the board are here for you. Let’s continue to strive to improve our organization and provide the best public safety cyclist training in the world.
As I said in the beginning, “IPMBA NEEDS YOU”!
Tom is currently the Special Operations Supervisor for East Baton Rouge Parish EMS where he is responsible for the Special Teams, including the bike and tactical medic programs. He is also a Deputy for the Livingston Parish Sheriff’s Department since 2005, where he is a member of the Special Response Team and Marine Division. He has been an IPMBA member since 1996 and became an Instructor in 1999. Tom gained his IT status in 2009 and became a member of the board in 2010. He hosted the 2007 conference, the first EMS agency to do so, and also co-hosted the 2013 conference in Baton Rouge. He can be reached at tharris@brgov.com.
(c) 2015 IPMBA. This article appeared in the Fall 2015 issue of IPMBA News.